Monthly Archive for March, 2016

Indian Springs, NV – During peak rush hour traffic on Thursday, March 31 at Creech Air Force Base, military veterans and friends were arrested while waving Veterans for Peace (VFP) flags and nonviolently blocking traffic at the East Gate on Hwy. 95, the primary commuter gate into the base. As the traffic was impeded, Las Vegas police diverted cars up the highway to less used, alternative gates.

February/March 2016 IN THIS E-BULLETIN MAN ARRESTED AFTER FLYING “PEACE DRONE” OVER PREDATOR DRONE ON DISPLAY AT DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR SHOW PAIR ARRESTED FOR ENTERING DRONE BASE WITH LOAF OF BREAD SEVEN PACIFIC LIFE COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS ARRESTED AT VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE PEACE WALKERS ARRESTED AT CREECH DRONE WAR BASE AND NEVADA NUCLEAR TEST SITE […]

INDIAN SPRINGS, NV – At 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, March 23, 2016, four women and four men were arrested during a nonviolent demonstration of peace in the roadway leading to Creech Air Force Base. On the 20th consecutive year of springtime prayer-walks to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS, formerly the Nevada Nuclear Test Site), the Sacred Peace Walk of three dozen peace walkers hosted by Nevada Desert Experience was half-way through the pilgrimage to the NNSS. The prayer-action that morning at Creech was held from 6:45 to 8:45 a.m., with notably less traffic than usual for a weekday morning at the U.S.’ premier drone warfare base.

From Holy Thursday afternoon to Good Friday afternoon (March 24-25), some 25 friends gathered in D.C. for a Faith and Resistance retreat and public witness that was organized by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and held at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Church. Those who participated in the retreat/witness included members of Jonah House, the Atlantic Life Community and students from Loras College from Iowa. The theme of the retreat was: “Put Away the Sword – Stop Crucifixion Today.” Holy Thursday was a day of reflection, sharing, action planning and Liturgy. Good Friday was a day of public witness.

Sam Yergler standing next to a Predator drone and flying his “peace drone” – Photo by Kassi Royalty

On March 13, Sam Yergler went to the Thunder and Lightening Over Arizona air show at Davis Monthan drone base in Tucson. When he found the Predator drone on display, he entered the roped off area surrounding it and flew his own small “peace drone” over it. He was detained on the tarmac for several hours, had a conversation with an FBI agent (who told Sam he’d be calling in the future) and received a 90 day ban and bar letter before being released. Two friends who accompanied him as observers were also given 90 day ban and bar letters.

Sam writes about his action:

Yesterday I lifted the veil on the military industrial complex if only for a short while. During the Air Force Base air show I snuck in a drone of my own and flew it above the Predator Drone they had on display. It was affixed with a banner reading “Peace Drone”. As it took off, I addressed the crowd:

Seven of the 11 activists who gathered at the Wheatland gate of Beale Air Force Base, California around 6:00 a.m. this morning were arrested for protesting the Global Hawk drone mission of the base. At 7:15 a.m. the group was handcuffed and taken inside the base for processing, where we were each cited for trespassing on a federal installation and released about 90 minutes later. Just prior to being arrested, the seven of us blocked a long line of morning incoming traffic for about 20 minutes before crossing over the white line onto base property.

A court has ordered that grandmother and drone resister Mary Anne Grady Flores be released on $5,000 cash bail from the Onondaga County Correctional Facility in Jamesville, NY on March 7, pending the New York State Court of Appeals decision on whether it will consider her case. That decision could take a month or two. Should the court decide to take the case, it could be quite a long time before it is heard.

A Brief Account of Our Collective Arrest at Vandenberg Air Force Base on Sunday, March 6

[On Sunday, March 6, as part of the Pacific Life Community’s action in front of California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base, a number of PLC’ers were arrested for “crossing the line” onto Vandenberg Air Force Base. The following is a brief account of the action written by Elizabeth Murray, who was arrested on trespass charges along with Charley Smith, Ed Ehmke, Mary Jane Parrine, Jorge Manly-Gil, Karan Benton and Tom Webb.]

We walked together, arm in arm, as one line toward the row of soldiers barring our entrance to Vandenberg Base. A few yards from the soldiers lineup, we paused; Charlie, whom we had selected to be our representative, advanced alone right up to the troops to offer our letter to Col. Moss. He asked several times for someone to come forward to receive our letter to the base commander, but our request was met by stone-still silence.

The word embodiment has been reverberating in my mind since arriving in Gangjeong village, a small fishing and agricultural community on Jeju, the Island of World Peace. There are opportunities throughout the day to place my body on the path between the war machine, well lubed by the US government, and the will of the people calling for peaceful coexistence with all creation. It is such a gift to clearly see where to place oneself to resist such destruction and to join in the celebration of life in the affirmation of peace in the 100 bows in the Buddhist tradition and Catholic mass concluded with joyful dancing.